Church of St Mary and St John

The church was built in the 1860s, funded by donations from the local people of the time, and officially opened on 28 October 1866.

Up to 1808, Catholic residents of Ballincollig had to travel to Ballinora, Kilnaglory or Clash Cross in Carriganarra to attend mass.

[1] The ceremony to lay the foundation stone of a new Roman Catholic Church in Ballincollig was led by the Right Rev.

[4] He also gave the use of a quarry at his property in Coolroe, a short distance away, where all the stone was needed for the building could be got.

[1] Other funds were provided by the management of the nearby Gunpowder Mills - with some sources attributing these donations as an attempt to appease some sections of the local population.

[5] The total cost was expected to be about £5,000, half of which had already been raised by the time of the foundation laying ceremony.

The Bishop led a procession to the site of the new church, where a service and ceremonial sprinkling of holy water took place.

Goldie also combined features from other periods, giving Ballincollig church some "unique" characteristics.

[2] The windows vary in shape and size from the narrow pointed type (neo-Gothic) to the rose shaped-windows.

[4] Much of this ornate metalwork has now been removed, e.g. the altar railings, the metal brackets which held the oil lamps.

A large number of people came to witness the dedication, with special trains running on the Cork and Macroom Railway.